Department for Transport

Manchester Airport: Railways

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rail services between Sheffield and Manchester Airport; and what plans he has to restore services between both destinations to pre-pandemic levels.

Chris Heaton-Harris: A regular service between Sheffield and Manchester Airport has not operated since COVID-19 timetables were introduced and its future, together with that of all the others serving central Manchester, was reviewed in depth by the Manchester Recovery Task Force. Its recommendation, which has since been accepted by the Department and Transport for the North, is that the revised timetable structure should not re-introduce this service due to its performance impact, with passengers instead undertaking a simple cross-platform change at Manchester Piccadilly instead.

Department for Transport: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by his Department.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in this Department or institutions owned or managed by the Government and are not aware of any ivory items in our possession.

Aviation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the cost of air travel.

Robert Courts: More than in any other country, UK aviation operates in the private sector and in a competitive environment. The aviation market is regulated by the CAA to ensure that practices and policies of airlines comply with UK consumer legislation.

Travel: Coronavirus

Amy Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he is making on recognising covid-19 vaccination certificates from overseas countries, particularly among British ex-pats who have received Sinovac or another vaccine rather than Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna or Janssen.

Robert Courts: From 22 November, vaccines on the WHO Emergency Use Listing will be included in the Government’s inbound travel rules. In practice, this will mean accepting anyone with a valid vaccine certificate who has been fully vaccinated with Sinopharm Beijing, Sinovac or Covaxin (in addition to the vaccines currently accepted), from a country listed on the fully vaccinated travel policy, for the purposes of international travel.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Investment

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to work with the community development finance institute sector to create a long-term tool to leverage investment into underserved businesses.

Paul Scully: The Government is committed to fostering a strong, diverse and competitive financial services sector to ensure that SMEs can access the right type of finance to meet their needs.The Government recognises the vital role that alternative lenders, including Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), have played in the provision of credit to SMEs and is grateful for the way the sector has responded during the pandemic. It remains committed to promoting competition and widening the finance options available to UK businesses. We will continue to review our policies and work with the sector through its trade body, Responsible Finance, to achieve those outcomes.One example of this collaboration is the Start Up Loans programme, whose extension for a further three years was confirmed at Budget. The programme offers loans of up to £25,000 to entrepreneurs and the participation of CDFIs as delivery partners helps to ensure that this opportunity is available to underserved businesses across the UK. 11 of the 21 Start Up Loans delivery partners are CDFIs, and they account for approx. 30 per cent of the loans issued through the scheme in 2020/21.More widely, the British Business Bank was working with 21 CDFI delivery partners across a range of its programmes at July 2021. These programmes include the Regional Funds and the Recovery Loan Scheme. In addition, 14 CDFIs were accredited lenders for the Covid loan schemes.

Insolvency: Standards

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2021 to Question 56362 on Insolvency: Standards, when proposals for consultation on the insolvency profession will be published.

Paul Scully: The Government will publish its proposals for consultation on the regulatory regime for the insolvency profession shortly.

Fireworks: Regulation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government Response to the House of Commons Petitions Committee Report on Fireworks, published in March 2020, if he will review his response to recommendations of the inquiry into fireworks which were not accepted; and what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on those recommendations.

Paul Scully: The Government has now implemented the recommendations it accepted following the Petition Committee’s report on fireworks. We have no current plans to introduce further restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks to the public but we continue to monitor the situation.

Post Offices: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether postmasters subject to civil proceedings in respect of the Post Office Horizon scandal are entitled to compensation under the Government's Post Office scheme, announced on 22 July 2021.

Paul Scully: The Government is keen to see that all postmasters whose Horizon convictions are overturned are fairly compensated as quickly as possible. On 22 July Government announced that it would be providing funding for Post Office to make interim payments of up to £100k to eligible postmasters who were subject to criminal proceedings linked to the Post Office Horizon IT system and whose Horizon convictions have subsequently been quashed. Only postmasters who have been subject to such proceedings are therefore eligible for these compensation payments.

Department of Health and Social Care

Pharmacy: Medical Records

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of including community pharmacies in IT systems that fully integrate health and care records on supporting effective transfers of care and improving health outcomes for patients.

Maria Caulfield: The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework sets out the shared vision for community pharmacy to play an increased role in the delivery of primary care. There is consensus that community pharmacists having the ability to view and contribute to the medical records of patients, in whose direct care they are involved, is required to achieve this.NHSX is developing interoperable National Health Service IT systems to integrate health and care records while considering issues such as patient consent and data security. This will allow clinicians across the NHS to access patients’ records, make informed clinical decisions and populate those records, ensuring transfers of care are safe and effective and improve health outcomes.

Health Services: Females

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the Women's Health Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: We are currently analysing the responses to our call for evidence and we aim to publish the Women’s Health Strategy in due course.

General Practitioners

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps his Department is taking to support GP services in (i) Coventry North East constituency, (ii) Coventry, (iii) the West Midlands and (iv) England to (A) meet patient demand and (B) manage the ongoing pressures of the covid-19 outbreak.

Maria Caulfield: To help general practice meet demand for appointments over the winter, we have announced a £250 million Winter Access Fund. This will help patients with urgent care needs, with a focus on increasing capacity for same-day appointments. We are creating an extra 50 million appointments a year in England by increasing and diversifying the workforce. This will mean improved access to general practice for patients and more support for staff to provide a wider range of care options for patients outside of hospital. Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) continues to work closely with individual practices to support them in managing current and ongoing pressures. The CCG has also submitted bids to NHS England for £4.4 million from the additional national funding to increase access to primary care. Pending approval, this would fund practices to improve patient access and increase appointments, including face-to-face appointments.

General Practitioners

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the pressures on GPs as a result of the increase in the number of appointments by 18 per cent over the last 12 months.

Maria Caulfield: On 14 October we announced a new £250 million Winter Access Fund, to help general practices to meet increased demand through existing staff, the digital locum pool framework or to fund extra administrative staff.We have also committed to increasing and diversifying the general practice workforce, through our schemes to boost recruitment and retention. As of September 2021, there were 1,841 more full time equivalent doctors in general practice compared to September 2019.

Vaccination: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all missed school aged vaccinations had been delivered by September 2021.

Maria Caulfield: Providers are currently focussed on the flu and COVID-19 immunisation scheme and will recommence work on routine vaccinations (including any outstanding catch-up work) in the new year. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, routine childhood immunisation programmes continued to be delivered in primary care. However, the closure of schools from 23rd March 2020 meant that the delivery of all school-aged immunisation programmes, including HPV, Td/IPV and MenACWY were interrupted from this date onwards.National Health Service providers are adopting a flexible and transformative delivery model to ensure those eligible receive their vaccine. This includes prioritisation of immunisations based on JCVI advice, digitalising consent processes and utilising a range of alternative community settings to deliver vaccines where appropriate. NHS England has also been working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Education to ensure that schools facilitate the continuation of vaccinations.

Dietetics: Recruitment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of dieticians working in primary care networks to provide integrated and nutritional care for patients with malnutrition and to prevent malnutrition.

Maria Caulfield: Under the Primary Care Network Direct Enhanced Services, networks are able to recruit new roles to expand their care team with 100% reimbursement through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Health and wellbeing coaches and dietitians are both included in the scheme.Primary Care Networks (PCNs) have recruited over 200 additional health and wellbeing coaches and dieticians since March 2019 and indicate that they are looking to hire more over the next year. We are supporting PCNs to hire and have made funding available to them to provide them with additional support to do so. National support for Health and Wellbeing Coaches is provided by the Supported Self-Management team. This offer includes access to peer support through an online discussion and information network and monthly share and learn sessions.

Hyperparathyroidism: Diagnosis

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis of Hyperparathyroidism.

Maria Caulfield: There is National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance available on the diagnosis, assessment and initial management of hyperparathyroidism in order to support clinicians when a patient presents with possible symptoms. Guidance on diagnostic testing in primary care includes measuring albumin-adjusted serum calcium and measuring parathyroid hormone. Further details can be found at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng132NICE updates guidance regularly and promotes it via its website, newsletters and other media. NICE published its current guidance on hyperparathyroidism in 2019.There are no current plans to update the guidance published by NICE, which includes diagnosis, assessment and initial management of primary hyperparathyroidism. We would expect patients presenting with symptoms consistent with Primary Hyperparathyroidism to be treated according to clinical need and in line with current guidance.

Menopause: Health Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing every woman with information on (a) pre-menopause and (b) menopause.

Maria Caulfield: The menopause will be a priority area within the Women’s Health Strategy, which will consider issues related to access to healthcare, education and training for clinicians, information for women and workplace support.The Government is also establishing a new menopause taskforce which will encourage faster action across the system, share best practice and take a holistic view of menopause support. The taskforce will feed into and support the development and implementation of the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy for England.

Coronavirus: Mortality Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the covid-19 mortality rate.

Maggie Throup: The Government has set out its approach to tackling COVID-19 over the coming months in COVID-19 response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021, published on 14 September, which can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-autumn-and-winter-plan-2021 This set out a five-pronged approach of building our defences through pharmaceutical interventions, such as vaccines and antivirals; identifying and isolating positive cases to limit transmission; supporting the National Health Service and social care; advising people on how to protect themselves and others; and pursuing an international approach through helping to vaccinate the world and managing risks at the borders. The Plan also set out other measures which might be deployed as necessary (“Plan B”), including introducing mandatory vaccine-only COVID-status certification in certain settings and legally mandating face coverings in certain settings. As set out in the Winter and Autumn plan, we have other measures that can be deployed if necessary. In keeping our policies under review, we take into account a wide range of data and evidence on transmission, hospitalisations and mortality, as well as on the wider impacts of current and potential elements of the response to the pandemic.

Coronavirus: Mortality Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the current covid-19 mortality rate.

Maggie Throup: In reviewing its policies on tackling COVID-19 the Government assesses and takes into account a wide range of data and evidence, including mortality rates.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department has undertaken or commissioned on engaging with people who are eligible for but have not yet received a covid-19 vaccine; and what level of covid-19 vaccination he plans to reach.

Maggie Throup: We continuously undertake and review research into the drivers for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This includes information gathered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), health studies, and insights generated by the vaccine programme itself.COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is monitored by ONS. They publish data recording the reasons people give for vaccine refusal. For example, we know that concerns about side effects are the most commonly cited reason for not taking the vaccine when/if offered. More information on ONS surveys concerning COVID-19 vaccine attitudes can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/datasets/coronavirusandvaccinehesitancygreatbritain.This is supported by Healthwatch, who undertook research in Spring 2021 and looked at uptake in ethnic minority groups who are known to be vaccine hesitant. They found that people commonly cited issues such as practical barriers, misinformation, and deeper cultural mistrust.The Government is taking a strategic approach to engagement at national, regional and local levels. The NHS is working in partnership with the voluntary and community sector, local authorities, staff and patients to ensure that views are built into the programme and used to inform and improve communications and delivery. For example, there is a toolkit to support communication and engagement with local communities; the toolkit contains key messages and links to national resources to inform and encourage uptake. The assessment of local take up rates is led by the NHS, with local partners. It is a continuous part of the COVID-19 vaccine programme. This is shared daily with Local Authority directors of public health to enable them to see emerging trends and act quickly to any developing inequalities locally. Qualitative information and insight on the reasons for vaccine refusal is collected to inform local initiatives to drive uptake.Vaccine confidence has increased across the population, especially in particularly hesitant groups such as ethnic minorities; YouGov polling indicates a reduction from 63% to 14% hesitancy from October 2020 to August 2021 in ethnic minority groups.The offer of COVID-19 vaccination remains open to every eligible person. The Government aims to reach every eligible person in the United Kingdom so that they feel confident to come forward to accept the offer.

Coronavirus and Influenza: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide stronger public health messaging on steps to be taken to safeguard against infection spread of flu or covid-19.

Maggie Throup: Vaccines continue to be our first line of defense against COVID-19 and flu. We have launched a United Kingdom wide ‘BOOST your immunity this winter’ campaign which encourages those eligible to book their flu vaccine and covid vaccine without delay. This includes TV and radio adverts, social media content and displaying campaign material on out of home digital screens and posters. This is supplemented by TV and radio interviews with clinical experts providing advice and information about why winter vaccinations are needed and how to book a vaccination appointment. The Government is also sponsoring information articles in more than 600 newspaper titles including multicultural newspapers in multiple languages. The COVID-19 vaccination leaflets produced by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency have been translated into 27 languages including Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Panjabi and Urdu. The NHS continues to recommend hand washing, using tissues to catch coughs and sneezes and using a bin to catch tissues as quickly as possible to help reduce the risk of flu.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for the roll out of anti-virals that are licensed to prevent covid-19 mortality to vulnerable groups.

Maggie Throup: On 20 October 2021 we announced that the government has secured two COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments for UK patients. Molnupiravir, one of the antivirals procured, received Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorisation on the 4th November 2021. The use of the second antiviral, PF-07321332 (from Pfizer), will depend on approval from the MHRA.The government intends to deploy antivirals initially through a national study that will prioritise those who are at most risk to COVID-19, including those who are immunocompromised, and help identify those who will benefit the most from treatment. The Department will provide more information on the national study, including detail on eligibility, in due course.

Influenza: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there are flu vaccine shortages; and what steps he is taking to address that matter.

Maggie Throup: Production of flu vaccines involves several steps in manufacturing, as well as regulatory and safety sign off, and must be transported under strict temperature-controlled conditions. New flu vaccines are produced every year, meaning short delays in production, manufacturing and delivery of these vaccines are not unusual. Each winter, General Practices and other providers are responsible for ordering their own flu vaccine supplies directly from manufacturers. The Department has been working with flu vaccine manufacturers to ensure there are sufficient supplies for the upcoming 2021/22 national flu immunisation programme by securing a central stock. Providers can access this stock once they have utilised their own locally procured stock.

Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent data his Department has collected on the demographics of people who are (a) infected with, (b) admitted to hospital with and (c) dying from covid-19.

Maggie Throup: The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes a weekly National flu and COVID-19 surveillance report each Thursday. The report provides demographic data on COVID-19 cases and deaths by age, sex, geography and ethnicity. Data on hospitalisations is based on The Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Watch sentinel surveillance system. The weekly surveillance report is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2021-to-2022-seasonNHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) publish hospital admissions by age group on a monthly basis. This is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/NHSEI also publish hospital deaths for England, which includes data on age groups and location. Weekly data is also published, which includes information on ethnicity, age group and gender. NHSEI only collects information that is made publicly available already. These publications are available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/

Public Health: Football

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the role of (a) Premier League football clubs and (b) Football League clubs in helping to improve public health in their communities.

Maggie Throup: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has not undertaken an assessment of the role of premier league and football league clubs in helping to improve public health in their communities. OHID are however aware of the community public health programmes undertaken by the Premier League and English Football League clubs, which are often commissioned or delivered with local authority public health teams and the National Health Service. The clubs deliver interventions such as smoking cessation, health checks, physical activity, healthy eating promotion and weight management services. OHID’s Better Health campaign is partnering with the English Football League Trust who are delivering the Fit Fans health programme, which is a behaviour change weight management programme delivered through the coaching staff, in a number of clubs across the country.

Suicide: West Midlands

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has provided to support voluntary and community sector suicide prevention organisations in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in each of the last five years; and which organisations in those areas have received that funding.

Gillian Keegan: Local clinical commissioning groups are responsible for funding decisions in their areas and may choose to provide funding to, or commission services from, voluntary and community sector suicide prevention organisations. We do not hold data on funding for suicide prevention organisations at a National Health Service clinical commissioning group level, and as such do not hold data on funding for organisations in Coventry of the West Midlands. On 27 March we published our Mental Health Recovery Action Plan, backed by an additional £500 million of targeted investment, to ensure support is in place for those impacted by the pandemic. This investment includes a £15 million prevention and early intervention stimulus package, which will help level up mental health and wellbeing across the country by investing in activity to promote positive mental health in the most deprived local authority areas in England. The package includes funding for a range of mental health initiatives in each of Birmingham, Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Many of these initiatives have the potential to reduce suicide through increased mental health support. £100,000 has been awarded to specific initiatives in Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton focusing on suicide prevention work carried out by voluntary organisations. The funding provided through the Mental Health Recovery Action Plan also includes £5 million in 2021-22 to be made available specifically to support suicide prevention voluntary and community sector organisations. We will announce more details soon on how organisations, including from Coventry and the West Midlands, can apply.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by his Department.

Michelle Donelan: We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in the Department for Education or institutions owned or managed by the government.

Ministry of Justice

Berwyn Prison: Drugs

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many illegal substances were found at HMP Berwyn in each month since January 2021.

Victoria Atkins: HMPPS records finds of illegal substances within its Incident Reporting System (IRS). These reports are created by the staff who recover the substances and include details of the weight of the substance found and an assessment of the type of substance found. In many cases it is evident what the substance is, however in some cases it is not possible to confirm the exact substance and so a staff assessment on the substance is required. We therefore cannot provide consistent monthly figures on the volume of specific illegal substances recovered which for the purposes of this PQ have been assumed to relate to narcotics and not tobacco and alcohol which are prohibited items within the custodial estate.HMP Berwyn received a full diagnostic visit with suggested actions and continued support to combat the issues of substances in the prison. HMP Berwyn is also part of the Prison accelerator project and has received additional posts in Drug strategy and Health and justice partners. HMP Berwyn has an x-ray body scanner installed in February 2021 which may act as a deterrent.In the 12-months ending March 2021, there were 20,295 finds of drugs in prisons; a decrease of 6% from the 21,575 in the 12-months to March 2020. These figures are available in the HMPPS Annual Digest.

Offenders: Hyperactivity

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure prison screening data is systematically collected and aggregated to provide a more accurate assessment of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as recommended in the Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice Sector report published in July 2021.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to implement a screening tool for neurodiversity, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in prisons in response to the inconsistent prison screening provision highlighted in the Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice Sector report published in July 2021.

Victoria Atkins: In response to the Neurodiversity in the Criminal Justice System: A review of the evidence report, the Ministry of Justice is currently drafting an action plan, which we will publish. As part of this plan, the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service are currently undertaking work to establish what data on neurodivergence is currently collected and shared across the Criminal Justice system and how this can be improved. This includes consideration of a number of different screening tool options to indicate likelihood of neurodivergent traits including traits associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Special Educational Needs: Tribunals

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Education Health and Care plan appeals were made to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal in each of the last three years, by reason for the appeal.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was for Education Health and Care plan appeals made to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal to be heard in each of the last three years, by reason for the appeal.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many successful Education Health and Care plan appeals were made to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal in each of the last three years, by reason for the appeal.

James Cartlidge: The table below shows how many Education Health and Care plan (EHCP) appeals were made to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal, by reason for the appeal and how many EHCP appeals were successful at hearing in each of the last three calendar years. 202020202019201920182018 Description of EHCP appealAppeals received in yearAppeals successful at hearingAppeals received in yearAppeals successful at hearingAppeals received in yearAppeals successful at hearingCEASE TO MAINTAIN THE PLAN483181245611CEASE TO MAINTAIN, REC - H113340CEASE TO MAINTAIN, REC - H & S11411360CEASE TO MAINTAIN, REC - S634110REFUSAL TO AMEND PLAN AFTER ANNUAL REVIEW, REC - H20300REFUSAL TO AMEND PLAN AFTER ANNUAL, REC - S002030REFUSAL TO AMEND PLAN AFTER ANNUAL, REC - H & S103450REFUSAL TO AMEND THE PLAN AFTER A REVIEW181639365723REFUSAL TO ISSUE EHC PLAN, REC - H25421682REFUSAL TO ISSUE EHC PLAN, REC - H & S2311337176REFUSAL TO ISSUE EHC PLAN, REC - S119210REFUSAL TO MAKE AN EHC PLAN762294679195562141REFUSAL TO RE-ASSESS514252REFUSAL TO SECURE AN EHC ASSESSMENT2,18661822545401844379SECTION B512371SECTION B - REC - HEALTH001010SECTION B & F357217319231399274SECTION B & F - REC - HEALTH51253717161SECTION B & F - REC - HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE1063410133364SECTION B & F - REC - SOCIAL CARE3210287102SECTION B & I292231122514SECTION B & I - REC - HEALTH622210SECTION B & I - REC - HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE112030SECTION B & I - REC - SOCIAL CARE102011SECTION B, F & I1,5731,06513569771408873SECTION B, F & I - REC - HEALTH18711314965446SECTION B, F & I - REC - HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE41920836112817319SECTION B, F & I - REC - SOCIAL CARE1788413457484SECTION F9951904010448SECTION F - REC - HEALTH568440SECTION F - REC - HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE842251SECTION F - REC - SOCIAL CARE415350SECTION F & I118851396713254SECTION F & I - REC - HEALTH15109440SECTION F & I - REC - HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE10812650SECTION F & I - REC - SOCIAL CARE7713550SECTION I - DISAGREEMENT WITH THE SCHOOL NAMED1,3756571241358879180SECTION I - DISAGRMNT WITH SCH NAMED, REC - H19117382SECTION I - DISAGRMNT WITH SCH NAMED, REC - H & S3415231SECTION I - DISAGRMNT WITH SCH NAMED, REC - S717651SECTION I - NO SCH NAMED IN THE PLAN, REC - H632602SECTION I - NO SCH NAMED IN THE PLAN, REC - H & S12101SECTION I - NO SCH NAMED IN THE PLAN, REC - S433211SECTION I - NO SCHOOL NAMED IN THE PLAN128651596012314 Appeals found in favour of the parent or young person are those in which the appellant was successful in all or part of the appeal The data are extracted from GAPS2- the Tribunal’s case management systemThe years referred to above are calendar years.The SEND Tribunal does not gather data on the average time for EHCP appeals to be heard. It has a performance measure that 75% of appeals should be brought to hearing and the decision issued within 22 weeks of the appeal being registered. Performance against that measure in the calendar year 2020 was 80%; 2019, 89%; and in 2018, 91%.

Ministry of Justice: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of ivory items in the possession of his Department.

James Cartlidge: We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in this Department or institutions owned or managed by the Ministry of Justice.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Australia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will ensure that any future trade deal with Australia includes commitments on tackling climate change.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK’s ambitious trade deal with Australia includes a substantive chapter on the environment, which includes commitments to work together on climate change and reaffirms both Parties’ commitments to upholding all their obligations under the Paris Agreement. The deal does not stop the UK from fulfilling obligations under multilateral environmental agreements. The UK is committed to implementation of all its domestic and international obligations on climate change and the environment. The deal protects regulatory sovereignty on the environment and climate, in a manner consistent with all other trade agreements, going beyond most in its specificity of climate change law.

Department for International Trade: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by her Department.

Penny Mordaunt: We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in this Department or institutions owned or managed by the Government.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

UN Commission on Human Rights

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has met the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights since she was appointed as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

Amanda Milling: We strongly support the work of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Foreign Secretary has not yet had the opportunity to meet the High Commissioner. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon frequently engages with the High Commissioner, and last met with her in August 2021, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

Ministry of Defence

Shipbuilding: Public Expenditure

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 on the National Shipbuilding Strategy refresh.

Jeremy Quin: The Budget announced on 27 October 2021 included a number of measures which will support the Government's ambition to create a globally successful, innovative and sustainable UK shipbuilding enterprise, including the extension of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition to a multi-year programme as part of the Government’s commitment to a UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK-SHORE). Further detail of our plans will be set out in the National Shipbuilding Refresh, which will be published later this year.

Department for Work and Pensions

Brain: Injuries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) support available and (b) policies for addressing the issues that additional brain injury patients experience in day to day living.

Chloe Smith: We have taken your PQ to refer to support for people with Acquired Brain Injury. People who are unable to work because they are disabled or have a health condition, including people who have Acquired Brain Injury, may be eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit (UC). Extra costs benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), are also available to help people with long-term health conditions or disabilities. PIP can be paid in addition to other benefits and support, including benefits which may help with the costs of living. The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) determines entitlement to ESA and the additional health-related element of UC. A case discussion about the needs of claimants with Acquired Brain Injury forms part of new entrant training for all WCA assessors, who also have access to a self-directed learning module on Acquired Brain Injury which was updated this year and quality assured by Headway, the brain injury association. Headway is also a member of the WCA provider’s customer representative group. Acquired Brain Injury is incorporated into training for PIP Health Professionals, who all have access to a Condition Insight Report on brain injury that was updated in 2020 and completed in collaboration with Headway. The PIP Forum regularly consults with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that PIP meets the needs of its claimants.  The National Disability Strategy aims to improve disabled people’s everyday lives. Our long term vision is to transform disabled people’s day-to-day lives. The strategy offers both a positive vision for long term societal change and a wide-ranging, practical plan for action now.Although progress has been made over recent decades on accessibility and inclusion, far too often obstacles remain. The strategy sets out probably the widest-ranging set of practical actions to improve the lives of disabled people ever developed, across jobs, housing, transport, education, shopping, culture, justice, public services, and data and evidence.

Poverty: Disability

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Health and Disability Green Paper and its focus on encouraging disabled people into work, what recent assessment she has made of levels of poverty amongst disabled people who are (a) in work and (b) unable to work as a result of their disability.

Chloe Smith: Statistics on the number and percentage of people living in low-income households over time, including disabled people and people living in disabled families, are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/households-below-average-income-hbai--2 The following statistics on disabled people in absolute low-income are based on analysis of HBAI data. The absolute low-income rate, before housing costs, among disabled working age people who were in work in 2019/20 was 11%. The latest Labour Force Survey reported that there were 4.4m disabled people in employment in the UK in Q2 2021. This is an overall increase of 1.5m since the same quarter in 2013. The absolute low-income rate, before housing costs, among disabled working-age people who reported they were not working because they are permanently sick/disabled in 2019/20 was 28%. This is based on disabled working-age people who had not done any paid work in the prior 7 days, were not absent from work at the time of interview and who self-reported that the reason that they are not looking for work or working is that they permanently or long-term sick or disabled. As well as receiving support through ESA or UC Health, disabled people may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment, which helps towards some of the extra costs arising from having a long-term health condition or disability. Spending on benefits for disabled people and people with long-term ill health has never been higher and is set to increase further. In 2021/22 we are forecast to spend £58 billion, £44.1 billion of which is spent on people of working age. We are reviewing responses to the Health and Disability Green Paper and intend to publish a White Paper next year, setting out changes to the benefits system that will better meet the needs of claimants now and in the future by improving claimant experience of our services, enabling independent living and improving employment outcomes.

Universal Credit: Disability

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2021 to Question 33906 on Universal Credit: Disability, whether any assessment was subsequently made of the impact of removing the uplift to the standard allowance in Universal Credit on the financial security of disabled claimants.

Chloe Smith: As the uplift was introduced as a temporary measure, no such assessment has been made.The Chancellor announced a six-month extension to the temporary £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Carbon Emissions

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what emissions reductions his Department’s (a) existing and (b) proposed policies deliver in the (i) fourth, (ii) fifth and (iii) sixth carbon budget periods.

Jo Churchill: The Government's Net Zero Strategy sets the UK on the path to deliver on its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The Net Zero Strategy sets out the Government's vision for transitioning to a net zero economy and covers a wide range of actions across different sectors.The Natural Resources, Waste and Fluorinated-Gases (F-Gases) chapter collates wide-ranging commitments, incorporating nature-based solutions into our approach to reach net zero, ensuring the pathway delivers multiple benefits for climate, biodiversity, and people. This brings together and builds on commitments and policies made in the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Agriculture Act and the Environment Act. We have committed to support the agriculture sector to reduce emissions, restore huge swathes of peat, create vast woodlands, and take action to reduce harmful waste and gases.Table 8 in the technical annex of the Net Zero Strategy sets out sector emissions in future carbon budgets compared with current emissions levels.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to a letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire of 16 September 2021, reference ZA57711 regarding a landfill site.

Jo Churchill: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 5 November 2021.

Dogs: Smuggling

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendation from the Dog's Trust report, Puppy smuggling: a tragedy ignored, that the focus on enforcement of the pet travel legislation should be moved from carriers to a qualified animal professional from a government agency and include a requirement for adequate out-of-hours and weekend cover at ports.

Jo Churchill: Carriers work closely with operational colleagues at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Border Force and are committed to preventing illegal imports of pet animals. Authorised pet checkers are trained by APHA prior to being granted approval and receive annual audits of their checking and processing to ensure they uphold our requirements. APHA regularly reviews its border enforcement work against known travel trends of those that seek to illegally import puppies to the UK, to keep pace with this rapidly evolving criminal activity. Part of this work includes intelligence-led targeting of suspected smugglers, alongside partner agencies, including Border Force. Border Force operates a 24-hour service seven days per week and alerts APHA to suspected non-compliant dogs and puppies. Targeted intelligence-led work often takes place outside of normal working hours as needed. The Government is satisfied with the workings of these current arrangements.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times each water company has been given permission to discharge raw sewage into bodies of water in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021 to date.

Rebecca Pow: Raw sewage is not permitted by the Environment Agency to be discharged from storm overflows.

Hunting

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of prohibiting trail hunting on land owned by his Department to prevent its use as a cover for illegal hunting, following the judgment in the case of R v Mark Hankinson; and if he will make a statement.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ban trail hunting and remove exemptions from the Hunting Act 2004 that have been used as a cover for illegal hunting, in response to the judgment of 15 October 2021 in the case of R v Mark Hankinson.

Rebecca Pow: The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with dogs except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act, and completely bans hare coursing.

Inland Waterways

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the cleanliness of England's waterways.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency's most recent water body classification results taken in 2019 showed that 16% of waters overall and 14% of rivers in England are at Good Ecological Status. The Government remains committed to bringing at least three quarters of our water to as close as possible to its natural state as soon as is practicable, supported by at least one legally binding water target in the new Environment Act. Water pollution comes from a number of sources and requires concerted action from government, industry and the public. We are tackling pollution from poor farming practice with regulation, financial incentives and by providing advice and training. Water company investment in environmental improvements will increase to £7.1 billion in current Price Review period (2020-25). Our draft statement of the strategic priorities of Ofwat, the water company regulator, puts enhancing environmental quality as a clear key priority. The storm overflow task force, comprising government, regulators and water companies, will help address the problem of sewage discharge from overflows and our new chemicals strategy will build on an already robust statutory regime to ensure chemicals are managed and handled safely.

Butterflies: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the retention of butterfly habitats throughout the UK.

Rebecca Pow: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. In England, our 25 Year Environment Plan commits the Government to restoring 75% of our one million hectares of terrestrial and freshwater protected sites to favourable condition, and creating or restoring an additional 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat in England, as part of a Nature Recovery Network. Action under the National Pollinator Strategy helps us to target such activity to improve, extend and connect habitats for insect pollinators, including butterflies. For example, the popular Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package in Countryside Stewardship includes management options to provide year-round habitat such as flower-rich margins. ‘Back from the Brink’ and other collaborative programmes between Government, NGOs and land managers have supported landscape scale projects supporting species including the Duke of Burgundy and Marsh Fritillary butterflies, and the Barberry Carpet moth. Most recently, our Green Recovery Challenge Fund has supported habitat management for pollinators, including Butterfly Conservation’s project to restore habitats at 18 woodland sites in the Morecambe Bay area to promote the recovery of threatened butterfly species. We are building on these measures and projects in the design of our new environmental land management schemes, which will enable many more farmers and land managers to take positive action for butterflies and other pollinators.

Home Office

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fire fighters were working for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for each of the last 5 years; and how many fire fighters are expected to be working for that Service in each of the next 5 years.

Rachel Maclean: The number of firefighters working for the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for each of the last 5 years was:2017 – 6592018 – 6602019 – 6572020 – 6702021 – 653Further detail is available in table FIRE1101 here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1026813/fire-statistics-data-tables-fire1101-211021.xlsxThe Home Office has not made an assessment of the number of fire fighters expected to be working for the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in each of the next 5 years. It is a matter for each fire and rescue authority to determine what resources they need to meet their anticipated risk.

Animal Experiments

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to launch a review on replacing the use of animals in the development of medicines with new approach methodologies such as the use of advanced cultures of human cells and tissues, artificial intelligence and organ-on-a-chip technology.

Rachel Maclean: There are currently no plans for a review on replacing the use of animals in the development of medicines.

Crimes of Violence

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the data she holds on the number of people reporting offences under the Offences against The Person Act 1861, section 23, and section 24 in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: Information on the number of crimes recorded under the Offences against The Person Act 1861 section 23 and section 24, including the offence subcodes “Administering poison so as to endanger life” and “Administering poison with intent to injure or annoy” for each financial year from 2015/16 to 2020/21 can be found in the attached annex.

Police: Demonstrations

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police forces receive training on methods of removing those who obstruct public highways and thoroughfares.

Kit Malthouse: The actions being taken by the Insulate Britain (IB) group to block the M25 have caused major upheaval and disruption to the public. That is why we intend to use the PCSC Bill to increase the maximum penalty for obstruction of a highway from the current £1,000 fine to an unlimited fine, six months’ imprisonment, or both. The police have extensive training programmes for dealing with public order, this includes tactics for removing those who are obstructing public highways and thoroughfares. Each public order trained officer receives a concentrated training refresher at least once a year. Police forces have specialist “protester removal teams” who are trained to quickly and effectively remove those who are obstructing public highways and thoroughfares, and who will receive even more regular training. Individual training packages are determined by police forces with guidance provided by the college of policing.

Lily Cade

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on trends in the level of hate crimes occurring as a result of (a) the content hosted on lilycade.com during recent months and (b) the BBC’s reporting on Lily Cade on 26 October 2021.

Rachel Maclean: The Home Office hold no data in relation to any specific impact on the risk of hate crimes arising from the content hosted on lilycade.com. We keep all hate crime trends and risks under regular review.

Police: Public Health

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support a public health approach to policing.

Kit Malthouse: The department is committed to driving the key tenets of a public health approach in policing. We have invested £105.5m over three years (2019-2022) into the development of 18 Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in the areas worst affected by serious violence across England and Wales. VRUs are designed to deliver a multi-agency, Public Health Approach to preventing serious violence, combining the collective expertise of key local partners to identify the root causes of violent crime and agree an appropriate response. In year one alone, VRUs reached over 100,000 vulnerable young people across the risk spectrum through a range of interventions. Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, we are also creating a new duty on a range of specified agencies, such as the police, local government, youth offending teams, health and probation services, to work collaboratively, share data and information and put in place plans to prevent and reduce serious violence within their local communities. We also continue to work closely with DfE, DHSC and MoJ to ensure join-up between local practitioners – including police. This includes work to embed the reforms made to multi-agency safeguarding arrangements to drive collaboration on child safeguarding Furthermore, the Home Office funds the NPCC’s Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme, which identifies best practice across police forces in responding to incidents and investigations involving vulnerable people. The programme contributes to the wider evidence base on the most effective policing approaches.

Interpol: Public Appointments

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with counterparts in democracies on the suitability of the candidates standing for election to the presidency of Interpol.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what due diligence is she conducting into the suitability of the candidates standing to be president of Interpol.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration does she give to a candidate’s or their home country’s human rights record when assessing their suitability to be president of Interpol.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration does she give to (a) a candidate’s or (b) their home country’s commitment to the rule of law when assessing their suitability to be president of Interpol.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with her international counterparts to ensure Interpol retains public confidence.

Damian Hinds: The Government strongly supports INTERPOL’s efforts to ensure systems are in place that protect individuals’ human rights in line with Article 3 of INTERPOL's Constitution which strictly forbids any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character. The Home Office continues to work with INTERPOL and the National Crime Agency (NCA), which acts as the UK’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for INTERPOL, to monitor the effectiveness of existing safeguards. We encourage INTERPOL to uphold international human rights obligations and we won’t hesitate to recommend further reforms to INTERPOL as necessary. During the G7 Interior and Security Ministers’ meeting in London on 7-9 September we also secured commitments from international partners to strengthen our collective efforts to deter the misuse of INTERPOL systems and support organisational reform and governance at INTERPOL. Proportionate due diligence is undertaken into individuals seeking election to the role of INTERPOL President. In the run up to the elections at the General Assembly, officials from the Home Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the National Crime Agency are in regular contact with international counterparts. The decision on who to support will be based on a thorough assessment of the merits of each candidate.

Home Office: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by her Department.

Damian Hinds: We have not made any such estimates.

HM Passport Office: Recruitment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will allocate additional funding to support the employment of more staff at UK passport offices to help process increased levels of applications and renewals.

Kevin Foster: Her Majesty’s Passport Office is currently conducting a recruitment exercise for temporary staff to increase its operational capacity. This is in addition to its range of tried and tested arrangements, including the flexing of resources from across the Home Office and other government departments, to ensure that passports continue to be issued within the current published timeframe of up to 10 weeks even in periods of the very highest demand.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by his Department.

Eddie Hughes: We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in this Department or institutions owned or managed by the Government.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by his Department.

Conor Burns: We have not made any estimates of the number of such items owned by or collated in this Department.

Security: Northern Ireland

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the security situation in Northern Ireland following the recent burning of a bus in Belfast.

Conor Burns: We are aware of the incident involving the burning of a bus in Newtownards, County Down. The security situation in Northern Ireland is kept under regular review and we are in close contact with security partners and the devolved administration.

Treasury

Charities: Coronavirus

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria his Department used to screen potential recipients of covid-19 support funding for links to (a) activities not conducive to the public good and (b) activities censured by the Charities Commission.

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has mechanisms to claw back covid-19 support funding from organisations with links to activities that are deemed not compatible with British values.

Helen Whately: This Government has provided around £400 billion of direct support, to the economy during this financial year and last, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in the UK. Financial support during the pandemic included job and income support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, as well as business grants and loans. The eligibility requirements for these schemes do not include a specific test around the activities of an organisation, nor do they prevent access by organisations that have been censured by the Charity Commission provided they meet the requirements of the schemes. Across the schemes, the Government has consistently taken steps to protect public money against error, fraud and abuse. Where the recipients of payments or loans are found not to have been entitled to the money they have received, the Government has made provision for relevant powers and mechanisms to allow the money to be recovered and, where appropriate, penalties issued. These mechanisms have already been used to make recoveries and further compliance work across the schemes is ongoing.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Allan Dorans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s on revenue accruing to the Exchequer from (a) income tax, (b) national insurance, (c) VAT and (d) other fiscal sources.

Mr Simon Clarke: No such estimate has been made of the effect of changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s on revenue accruing to the Exchequer. The Government decided over 25 years ago that it was going to make the State Pension age the same for men and women. Raising State Pension age in line with life expectancy changes has been the policy of successive administrations over many yearsDWP estimate that the total additional cost if we had not implemented any increases in State Pension age would be in the region of £215bn for the period 2010/11 to 2025/26, in 2018/19 prices. This figure takes into account State Pension, other pensioner benefits, and savings made on .working age benefits.

Islamic Centre of England: Government Assistance

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to audit covid-19 support funding provided to the Islamic Centre of England.

Helen Whately: This Government has provided around £400 billion of direct support to the economy during this financial year and last, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK. In doing so, the Government has struck a balance between making sure that support is available to those who need it most, while also protecting public money against error, fraud and abuse. HM Treasury does not comment on the commercial or financial matters of private firms.

Treasury: Aviation

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide the (a) departure airport, (b) arrival airport and (c) date of each domestic flight he has taken since 13 February 2020.

Helen Whately: As has been the case under successive Administrations, non-scheduled air travel is necessary at times for undertaking Government and Royal Household official visits. This may be to the timing and flexibility needed, for security reasons, or due to the location being visited. It can also provide better value for money in the cases of larger delegations (which can include journalists). The Government's Transport Decarbonisation Plan has set out our plans to reach net zero aviation emissions by 2050 through new technology and sustainable aviation fuels. The following chart outlines details of the domestic flights the Chancellor of the Exchequer has taken since 13 February 2020: 12-Mar-20Leeds Bradford-RAF Northolt09-Jul-20Birmingham Int’l-RAF Northolt06-Aug-20RAF Northolt-Glasgow07-Aug-20Glasgow-RAF Leeming03-Mar-21RAF Northolt-Teesside04-Mar-21Teesside-RAF Northolt31-Mar-21RAF Northolt-Humberside-RAF Northolt14-May-21Humberside-RAF Northolt07-Jul-21RAF Northolt-Birmingham-RAF Northolt28-Jul-21RAF Northolt-Edinburgh29-Jul-21Glasgow-Teesside

Treasury: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by his Department.

Helen Whately: We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in this Department or institutions owned or managed by the Government.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations his Department has received on the effect of state pension age changes on women born in the 1950s; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of compensating those women for changes to state pension age legislation.

Mr Simon Clarke: HMT Ministers receive representations on a wide range of matters, including on State Pension age changes. The Government decided 25 years ago that it was going to make the State Pension age the same for men and women as a long-overdue move towards gender equality. Raising State Pension age in line with life expectancy changes has been the policy of successive administrations over many years. State Pension age reform has focused on maintaining the right balance between the sustainability of the State Pension, and fairness between generations in the face of demographic change. Changes to State Pension age were made over a series of Acts by successive governments from 1995 onwards, following public consultations and extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament.

Universal Credit: Disability

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the end of the uplift to the standard allowance of universal credit on disabled people; and whether he plans to allocate additional funding to adult social care services to support disabled people who are impacted by the end of that uplift.

Mr Simon Clarke: The government has always been clear that the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit (UC) was a temporary measure to support households whose incomes and earnings were affected by the economic shock of COVID-19.The end of the temporary £20 per week increase to Universal Credit will not affect the substantial pre-existing support on offer to disabled people. This includes welfare support, where the Government will spend over £57 billion in 2021/22 on benefits to support those with disabilities or long-term health conditions.Additionally, at SR21 the Government confirmed it is providing £4.8bn of new grant funding to Local Authorities over three years to meet core pressures including social care and other local services. Government also reconfirmed an additional £5.4bn over three years to fund social care reform. These reform plans will transform the social care offer for working age and older adults with disabilities.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Ivory

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of ivory items owned by or collated by her Department.

Nigel Huddleston: We have not made any estimates of the number of ivory items owned by or collated in this Department or institutions owned or managed by the Government.